A conventional medical X-ray CT (Computed Tomography) apparatus has spread widely as an apparatus for scanning a living human body mainly. On the other hand, an X-ray CT apparatus can be used for X-ray CT scanning of a dead human body. This is referred to as AI (Autopsy Imaging) and is construed as an image pathological diagnosis at the time of death in a narrow sense. The AI diagnoses what type of structural disorder is caused in the corpse using an image scanned by an X-ray CT apparatus or MRI apparatus at the time of or after death. The diagnosis results are utilized to understand pathology at the time of death and investigate the cause of death.
By the way, there are insufficient anatomists in the background of the widespread AI using an X-ray CT apparatus. In a case where anatomy is required but is not performed due to the insufficient anatomists, this can result in a wrong cause of death. For example, in a case where a person died with less injury even if there are a rupture of organ and a bone fracture by beating, it may be simply determined that the person died of cardiac paralysis. By scanning the dead body before anatomy using an X-ray CT apparatus or MRI apparatus, organ damage and breeding statuses of various organs as well as whether or not there are bone fractures can be imaged accurately. Therefore, the AI has received a lot of attention as an image diagnosis method that can acquire effective information to determine the cause of death.
Also, it is estimated that a number of corpses are concentratively carried to a local facility in case of a large-scale fire or flood disaster. Particularly, in case of a fire etc., there is a case where even sex cannot be determined depending on the damage degree of a corpse. However, it requires a long time to anatomize all the corpses, which greatly burdens doctors. Even in such a case, the AI scanning is effective.
By the way, it is disclosed that a conventional X-ray CT apparatus converts protocols in which scanning conditions according to the examination site and the examination purpose were defined for a living body in advance into a database and sets the scanning conditions by selecting an appropriate one for the examination from these protocols (Patent Literature 1).